Over the last several years, the City of Corpus Christi has
made significant financial investment in downtown. This
investment can be strengthened by the development of a
thriving downtown community.
We are pleased to present the Downtown Redevelopment
Report. This report is aligned with the South Central Area
Development Plan, and is presented in response to the
City Council’s goal to redevelop our Downtown.
The Downtown Redevelopment
Committee (DRC) started meeting
on March 29, 2006.
• A total of 22 committee meetings were
held, not including sub-committee and
other meetings.
• The group is composed of various
individuals representing community
and private sector organizations.
The group sought background
information from a variety of sources.
• City staff provided extensive information on
projects, programs, and ordinances.
• Downtown Management District (DMD)
• Other communities:
Downtown Harlingen - Mainstreet Program
San Antonio - Downtown Alliance Program
“Downtown Corpus Christi is a safe, clean,
pedestrian friendly community comprised of a
central business district, arts and culture, sports
and entertainment areas. This unique, vibrant
waterfront community will provide local residents,
tourists, and families’ opportunities to enjoy its
fine restaurants, shops and residential facilities.”
An analysis of the downtown
area was conducted to
determine:
•Strengths
•Weaknesses
•Opportunities
•Threats
The top six categories for each analysis
is presented in the following slides.
STRENGTHS
• Proximity to water &
Water Events
• Entertainment/Arts, Culture,
Events, Restaurants
• Proximity to tourism
• Can be pedestrian oriented
• Center for employment
• Investing in infrastructure:
water, sewage and drainage
WEAKNESSES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lack of real plan
Vacant buildings
Lack of housing
Underutilized parks
No grocery store
Lack of retail
Visually unappealing
OPPORTUNITIES
•
•
•
•
•
•
Council priority
Coastal location
Vacant buildings
Urban shifts
Marina improvement
The Ritz Theatre
Restoration
THREATS
• Lack of marketing/
Community perception/
Lack of identity
• Divisiveness/Need to work
together/Lack of leadership
• Lack of knowledge/
Cooperation/Absentee
owners
• Ineffective codes
• Brain drain
Study of eleven downtowns across the country
by The Civic Fellows Programs of Cornell University
• No single organizational model exists
• Multiple traffic generators within short walking
distance
• Beloved by its citizens
• Walkable
• Commitment to mixed use development
• Broad public/private investment
• Entertainment is a driving market segment
• Strong, adjacent residential neighborhoods
within walking distance
• Housing is either prevalent or underway
THE
DOWNTOWN
FOCUS
AREAS
RECOMMENDATIONS AND STRATEGIES
1. Designs and Plans
2. Infrastructure
3. Policies
4. Business Development
5. Marketing
6. Organizational Structure
Connect Downtown neighborhoods through
improvements in:
• Pedestrian Experience
• Vehicular Access
• Event Public Transit
• Parks and Green Spaces
• Targeted improvements to Public infrastructure
demonstrates, to potential private developers, a
commitment to downtown
• A downtown residential community is the base from
which other growth will emerge
• A revitalized downtown may ultimately draw renewal to
adjacent neighborhoods and relieve stress on outward
growth of City infrastructure
Implement a phased plan to make sidewalk
improvements, at minimum one block at a time:
• Sidewalks with pedestrian scale lighting,
emphasizing down lighting, safety, and ADA
accessibility
• Electrical, Fiber Optic, and Irrigation upgrades
installed during sidewalk improvement process
• Informational WiFi Kiosks at bus stops
• WiFi prepaid parking meters
Improve streets, intersections, connectivity and
wayfinding signage entering, between, and exiting
downtown.
• Traffic Engineering provides recommendations to improve the
traffic flow between all downtown areas, particularly after peak
events
• Improve traffic connectivity between S.E.A. town and
Downtown with emphasis on making Chaparral St. southward
toward I37 as a two-way arterial with parallel parking
• Where feasible, East/West streets in Downtown become one-lane,
one-way, with angled parking
Continue to support Marina improvements.
• Maximize visibility & usage, improve landscaping,
and tourist retail/commercial interactivity on the
T-Heads
• Support and encourage a regional high speed water
taxi to transport local commuters and tourists from
Downtown to Packery Channel, Port Aransas,
Ingleside, and Rockport
Encourage residential development:
• Incentives for residential conversions and
new construction
• Incentives for retail and entertainment
businesses
• Enhance availability and convenience of
public transportation
Create a Special Planning and
Maintenance District:
• Increase standards for the physical
appearance and maintenance of buildings
• Implement “adaptive reuse” principles in
rehabilitating vacant and underutilized
buildings
Create standards for designating and
enforcing buildings as blighted:
• Use as evidence in support of state and
federal redevelopment grant applications
• Inspect and perform needed maintenance
• Charge the owner for any work performed
• Place a lien on property if owner fails to pay
Code enforcement:
• Building Standards Board meetings held
monthly
• Actions must be swift and certain
Recruit more retail and commercial
businesses to Downtown:
• Create Downtown Merchants Association
• Continue targeting city incentives
• Support new businesses during the first 12
months of operation through the creation of
rent buy down programs
Support existing downtown businesses:
• Encourage downtown public market
• Develop full-scale WiFi community portal
• Encourage Local financial institutions to
provide for loan pools and rent buy downs
for downtown businesses
• Priority should be given to the recruitment of
local merchants for the downtown area
• Contact owners of vacant lots and buildings to
discuss opportunities for redevelopment of their
properties
Brand downtown as a “Destination” by creating a
visual identity and design standards for publicly
funded items:
•
•
•
•
•
Logos
Signage
Wayfinding
Downtown entry way
Pedestrian information kiosks
Develop strategic marketing plan focusing on:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Culture
Residential
New and existing businesses
Tourism
Entrepreneurs
Community
Use traditional & new media
Enhance and develop the downtown “experience”
by establishing and supporting recurring public
events and art experiences:
•
•
•
•
•
Wednesday night sailboat festival
Murals
Decorated benches/bus stops
Permanent art installations
Outdoor markets and park events
•
Create a Downtown Task Force (DTF), comprised
of city staff from various departments, led by the
Economic Development Department
•
Add at least one staff member to the Economic
Development Department to help coordinate the
DTF and assist with implementation of this plan,
including monitoring of progress
• DTF researches and submits recommendations to the
City Manager and City Council on a financing plan for the
implementation of this plan.
-Possible funding sources include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
use of annual budget resources
capital improvement bond program financing
utility revenue bonds
tax free housing finance bonds
federal and state grant funds
other public and private funding sources including RTA
a tax increment financing zone (TIF)
•
•
DRC members will establish an advocacy
group which will help move the downtown
agenda forward
Advocacy group will work proactively with
other organizations and invite the
membership and participation of all interested
groups and individuals, including the City
Council
In Conclusion, the DRC effort is only the beginning of a
process that must involve a wide range of interests and
stakeholders continuously in the future.
This report must be viewed as a living document, subject
to re-thinking based on future opportunities and
challenges.
The DRC believes these recommendations will be the
foundation for a more vigorous renewal of downtown
Corpus Christi.
Downtown Redevelopment will result in:
• More economic activity, particularly
housing and commercial
• Less under-utilized land
• Fewer vacant buildings
• An esthetically pleasing, cherished
heart for the community
Committee
Kay Aeby
Paula Dodd
James Chrobocinski
Arthur Granado
Cecil Johnson
Leon Loeb
Monica M. Sawyer
Leah Olivarri
Phillip Ramirez
Sheldon Schroeder
Gary Basinger
Simon Castillo
Evy Coppola
Kevin Hopkins
Kimberly Lemley
Wayne Lundquist
Brian Miller
Michael Perez
Daiquiri Richard
Norma Urban
Les Cassidy
Vangie Chapa
Angelica Flores
John Howell
David Loeb
Chad Magill
Mark Minutaglio
Michelle Peters
Eloy Salazar
Brandi Williams